Under Control
by mountainknight
Summary: What if Clary left New York? She takes a portal and ends up in the middle of a forest. Then something happens and she meets some new characters along the way.
1. Chapter 1

** This is the other point of view for Under Control. Allie Rayie and me have been working together. **

The green forest opened up vastly once I stepped out of the portal. "Jace had been cheating on me. He thought I wouldn't see him necking the blonde but I did. I can't believe it. I guess I wasn't good enough for him." I thought.

The tears running down my face weren't from sadness but from anger and betrayal; Fear and pain were part of it to. It seemed like he was going to kill me when we were fighting in the alley. I loved him. Love is stupid. Love is a game that's meant to trick you. It's not worth it to play.

I kept walking through the forest as the day went on thinking about Jace. It was early morning here. The birds were just beginning to chirp up high in the trees. I vaguely knew I was in Idris but I didn't know where. At least I hadn't fallen in Lake Lynn this time.

There wasn't a path in the forest so I just headed straight. I had no clue where I was going, if I did I would've called myself lost. As I walked, the Sun rose over the horizon, the heat draining me.

As the shock went away Embarrassment took its place. I was ashamed to have given into the institution of love._ How could I trust him? It doesn't make sense, why do this to me?_

I assumed it was because of me but I still wanted to know the truth, as silly as that may be, I'm across the ocean from the truth. But it was too late now. I don't want to talk to him. I will forget about the truth and forget about Jace, as hard as that sounds. I have to.

Now I needed to focus on finding water. I _was _sweating a lot but it had stopped by now and that was not a good sign. My jeans weren't helping me cool down at all in this hot, summer air. Heat stroke was definite possibility. I needed to stop thinking about Jace and start thinking about how to stay alive. First thing was to find water.

I was in scouts when I was little but I never paid attention. I never thought I would be in a situation that called for it. Once I saw a TV show about a man who followed a rabbit to a stream; I've seen lizards and birds but no rabbits. I'd been walking for some time now when I spotted a lizard and decided to risk it. I followed far behind the lizard, trying not to alert him to my presence. He veered off towards the left and I followed.

While I was walking I started thinking about my mom and Luke. They would be worried for sure. They knew of my plans to go out with Jace. I wonder what he would tell them. I sure wasn't going to contact them, I couldn't risk Jace knowing. I didn't even want to talk to Simon. Lately I was feeling jealous of Simon and the shadow hunters' relationship. I knew that it was just because of downworlder stuff but I still couldn't help comparing myself to them. I had only been training for a few months when they had been training their whole lives. I miss hanging out with him. I can't go back but I still wish that I could've said goodbye to Simon. I will never go back to New York. I can't face Jace again. I don't care how bad things get for me, I can't ever go back. Every time I imagined him all I can picture iss his cheating, murderous face. The way he looked at me that night, I have never seen anyone's eyes filled with so much hate, and every time I look at him I would just remember the girl he cheated on me with. I know I'm a coward for running away. I'm acting like I'm 5 but its more than that.

Now, 3 hours later, I was extremely tired. I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to sleep, but I wouldn't let myself. Then I thought I saw something move out of my peripheral vision. It almost looked like a person. I thought it was just my tired mind playing tricks on me but I was hoping that it was real. I didn't have time to find out if it was or not. The sun was so hot, I was parched and starving, and my mind and body were being pushed over the limit. I'd been hiking through this forest for hours without giving my body anytime to rest at all. I was miserable but I didn't want to go back. I wanted to keep going but then, without my permission my mind and body gave out on me. The last thing I saw was the blurry figure coming towards me and then I was plunged into complete darkness.

**I'm writing chapter two now. Please come back and read when it's up. I hope you enjoyed this! R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2

When I came to I heard voices.

"What if she's a spy?" A boyish voice cried.

"She's not a spy." A girl pronounced heavily. You could tell that this conversation had been going on for a while. "She's just a girl."

"A shadowhunter who is probably working for the clave,"

"She's too young to be working for them and even if she is Aaron will protect us." She said matter-of-factly.

"He's not even here! How can he protect us if he's not even here! " Screamed the boy. He sounded like a nervous wreck.

"Calm down, he'll be here in a minute. If you quit being so paranoid then you would've heard him coming by now." The girl replied smugly.

This was followed by silence. The boy was listening. Then there was the sound of retreating footsteps and I knew that I was alone.

Why were they scared of the clave? Instead of being saved was I actually in more trouble? I knew I could open my eyes but I didn't want to. I was strangely intrigued. I didn't want wake just yet, so I decided to pretend like I was still unconscious. I wanted to know if there was any more I could find out.

Then it hit me. How long had I been unconscious? I was completely alert now. I wasn't even thirsty anymore. The girl must've helped me. The boy sounded like he would've left me in the woods to die. The only trace of my day long trek through the forest was the faint burning of my skin. I knew that if I opened my eyes, my skin would be bright red instead of its usually pale white. I realized I was on something that felt like a couch. It was very comfortable. Then the voices came back.

"Where did you find her?" An authoritive voice said, His footsteps coming towards me. I was guessing that this was Aaron.

"In the woods about a mile north from here." The girl replied.

"Why'd you bring her here?"

She sounded shocked. "I couldn't just leave her there. She would've died."

"Told you," The boyish voice muttered.

"What should we do?" The girl asked Aaron, ignoring the boy.

"It's too late for a plan; we'll have to wait until she wakes up and go from there." Aaron replied tiredly.

I heard his footsteps coming closer. I tried to keep extra calm, feigning unconsciousness but it didn't work. He heard my uneven breathing. I had no clue what they were going to do to me.

"She's waking up." Aaron said. Meanwhile I was panicking. What were they going to do with me? It sounded like they wanted to throw me out but at the same time they couldn't. _Weird _I thought.

"You're not going to hurt her, right?" the girl said protectively. She definitely was the one who found me in the forest.

"Of course not but we should still search her."

"I already did. No weapons, no stele. Look at her! She doesn't have any runes."

"What are you implying?" Aaron sighed.

"I'm saying that she's not dangerous." The girl answered.

"Looks can be deceiving," The boy said in a sing song voice

"Shut up!" she screamed.

"Enough! Both of you. Loomis start acting your age." He was very mad. "Then what would you do with her then?" He asked her.

"Nothing, just act nice, Treat her like a guest,"

"Why? She might be the enemy. We should tie her to a chair." His voice was strained but firm and filled with power. He was in charge here. They wouldn't argue with him now.

I really didn't want to be tied to a chair and I knew if I didn't break my charade I would be so I opened my eyes.

"


	3. Chapter 3

I was in a small living room. The walls were light blue. There was a thick black rug covering the wood floor. There was all the usual furniture that you would find in a normal living room; a cedar coffee table, two plush blue chairs, and a large blue couch that I was laying on.

I heard someone say "Gabriel," and then in the next second, a seraph blade was at my throat. "How long have you been listening, little girl?" Aaron growled. _Here we go again. Why does everyone call me that? _I thought.

"Not long," I choked out. The flat side of the blade was pushing on my throat. Not enough to bleed but enough to choke.

"You know, seraph blades don't only kill demons. They can kill anyone. And it hurts but I can make it hurt even more. Do you understand me?"

Aaron was not what I was expecting. Instead of a middle aged man he was young, no older than nineteen. His hair was a mess of dark brown curls. His brown eyes were glistening filled with hostility just as Jace's were when he tried to kill me. Just like with Jace, Aaron was murderous and I was defenseless.

"Aaron, please. You're hurting her." She cried. Her big blue eyes were begging him to stop.

"I won't move. I have no weapons. I have no place to run _to._ If I try to escape you can kill me." I gasped. I was betting with my life now but I wasn't going to run anyway. I would just pass out again. There was nowhere to go.

This must have surprised him. He loosened his grip on the blade. He looked into my eyes and I knew that he was on the verge of letting go."I swear on the angel," I whispered.

For just a moment his eyes widened and then he took the blade away. "Sit up," He told me strictly. "Loomis, go fetch her some tea."

A boy with Sandy hair and pale skin got up from his the perch on the window and went out of the room.

Now I knew what was coming. I was going to be interrogated like on one of those cop show.

Aaron pulled one of the chairs in front of me and sat in it. He was still holding the blade. "What's your name?"

"Clary Fray," I answered.

He pointed the blade at my chest. "You're lying. That is not a shadowhunter name. Tell the truth or I'll kill you."

"Aaron!" The girl shrieked.

"Vanessa, go help Loomis in the kitchen." It wasn't a suggestion it was a command. She rolled her eyes and left.

"Now let's try that again. What's your name?"

"It's complicated."

"I can understand. Now tell it." He demanded. What was with this guy and commands? He wasn't going to get a fast answer if he bossed me around.

"How do you know I'm a shadowhunter?"

"Vanessa is a witch. She can tell." He looked annoyed. "Now tell me your name little girl."

"I'm not a little girl!" He put the blade against my chest. "Fine, I'll tell you." I said, scared for my life.

"I didn't even know the shadow world existed until about a year ago. I thought my father was dead and my mom was paranoid but she wasn't. She took me to a warlock every two years to get my sight taken away until this year when I discovered my sight.

Then one day my mother was taken and I met the shadowhunters. My sight had been discovered around that time and they explained to me what I was seeing. They were interested in me because I had been raised as a mundane.

In the end the truth came out. My mother had run away from my father when she was pregnant with me. He was evil. I don't know what name you want but my mother's name was Jocelyn Fairchild and my father-"I hated saying this."My father's name was Valentine Morgenstern." I finished with my eyes closed. I heard Aaron gasp. "Ring a bell?" I joked.

He looked stunned, then, suddenly he broke out of his trance. "Liar!" Now his blade broke my skin and the pain was brutal. I screamed. I couldn't help it. The angel's blade spread a pain through me like no other.

Vanessa heard and came running in. "What the hell are you doing?" she screamed. She tried running towards me but Aaron blocked her and pushed his blade harder into my chest. I was crying now. The pain was unbearable. I couldn't breathe. I wanted to pass out.

"How old are you?" He screamed viciously.

"Sixteen," I gasped.

"Aaron, stop she's only a girl." Loomis had come back from the kitchen. "Leave her alone." His voice had finality in it.

I watched as Aaron left the room with his bloody blade trailing behind him. Now there were just three. Now I was wondering who the real boss around here.

I couldn't stop crying and had started shaking. Vanessa came towards me and ran her fingers through my hair. It felt like I was three again and had skinned my knee. My mother used to stroke my hair to get me to stop crying.

"What did I do?"I whispered, not trusting my voice. I was terrified.

"You did nothing wrong,"

"Then why- why torture me?" My voice cracked.

"He's scared."

"Of what?"

"The clave,"

"Why? I'm not part of them."

She laughed. "Well now we know that. Sit up and I'll be right back."

Then it was just me and Loomis. He was sitting at the window, staring at me.

"Where did you come from?" Loomis asked. I was tired of being evasive so I just told him the truth straight up.

"New York,"

He looked confused. "How did you get here?"

"Portal,"

"But if you took a portal to Idris it should've taken you straight to Alicante."

I smile at him. "You're not going to believe me but I'm special. I can create runes. I opened a portal with a rune I created and it led me into the forest. I guess I passed out and Vanessa found me."

"Yep," He replied. "Are you sure you don't work for the clave?"

"If I were working for the clave wouldn't I have taken the portal to Alicante?"

"Not if you were a spy,"

"A spy would not pass out from heat exhaustion,"

"They would if they knew how to find us. The Clave could've found out that Vanessa has a soft spot and they could use that against us."

I started to laugh. This had to be a dream. This was all too crazy to be real. "You are paranoid. I'm not a spy. I'm not even loyal to the Clave. I ran away. That's all." I was lying on the couch with blood on my shirt, smiling up at the ceiling. This had to be a dream.

"Why'd you run away?" he asked.

"That's my business, not yours." I replied politely.

"Then how do I know that you're not a spy?" He said with a sly smile.

I sighed. I was tired of this. "Just kill me! That would be easier for you guys, wouldn't it? But I'm telling you the truth. No one knows I'm here. I'm a teenage runaway whose boyfriend tried to kill her." I stared at him, trying to see what he thought. "I had shadowhunter friends; my best friend is a vampire. I know a warlock and my stepdad is a werewolf."

He just stared at me, mouth hanging wide open. He was surprised for sure but I didn't know by what exactly.

Then Vanessa came back into the room. She noticed both of us looking at each other. "The staring contest is over. Loomis, out."

"Why?"

"Just get out," She rolled her eyes at him and he left.

"Take off your shirt."

"What- Why?" I questioned. This was getting weird.

"Your cut needs fixing and you have blood all over your shirt." I did what she asked after realizing that I _was_ a mess. "Do you know how to use a stele?" She asked.

"Yes,"

"Then here draw an Iratze or whatever you people call it." She handed me the stele and I went to work drawing the healing symbol. Then she tossed me a new shirt and I slipped it on. It was probably one of hers.

When I was done she put a cup of tea in front of me. "Now drink and rest. I promise Aaron won't come anywhere near you. I'll keep an eye on you." I didn't think I could trust them. She seemed nice and she did save me but I was scared. I was trapped here. I couldn't go back even if I wanted to. I didn't though. That's the thing. I was tortured and I still didn't want to go back. It would be the same back there as it was now. Something horrible was happening to Jace and if I tried to help him he would kill me. I was sure of that, and if I went back I would not be able to stay away from him.

Vanessa must have seen the uncertainty in my eyes. "You can trust me." She said and then she left me in the ordinary, blue living room to sleep. At first I didn't think I would be able to but I guess I was more tired than I thought, I went out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4

_They were in a field. The sky was grey and the forest looked dead. The two boys approached each other, not noticing me. They looked familiar. The golden boy said something I couldn't hear to the brown haired boy. Then they both took out swords and started running towards each other. At that moment I realized who they were, Jace and Aaron."Stop," I screamed and now they realized someone else was here. Then they both started running towards me instead. Their eyes were filled with the murderous anger I had seen before on both of their faces. They stopped about a foot away from me and my vision started spinning like I was dizzy. One second Jace would be in front of me and in the next Aaron would. Their images kept changing faster and faster, replacing one with the other. Everything behind them was grey and while they kept spinning a voice whispered into my mind, "Don't trust me," I didn't know whose voice it was but it sounded menacing. Both the boy's mouths were open like they just said those words. When it started to seem like they couldn't spin any faster they stopped but now instead of two boys there were three. Sebastian was standing between Jace and Aaron with a mocking smile on his face. All three of them stared at me and then in unison they all said "Don't trust me," _then I woke up, gasping for air.

"Are you in trouble?" I jump when I hear Loomis' voice from across the room.

I thought about that for a minute. Had I broken some kind of unsaid rule? I decided to put that question at the back of my mind and think about it later. "No, well actually, if I ever go home my mom will kill me." He laughed. My breathing had calmed down by now. The presence of another person had soothed me. I realized that I was still exhausted though. I close my eyes and got back into a comfortable position. Loomis said something but I couldn't understand it. I didn't really care about what he said. All I wanted was for Jace to be okay.

"What happened in your dream?" He asked.

"Nothing," I respond to quickly.

"Come on, don't you trust me?"

"Trust is earned,"

"I stopped Aaron from torturing you,"

"True," I hesitated. "Thank you but don't blackmail me with that."

"I wasn't-" He began but I cut him off.

"Then don't start. I'm tired. Goodnight." And with that I fell into a deep sleep without any dreams to haunt me.

I'm woken up to the beautiful music of a pots and pans band. "What the hell is going on in there?" Aaron calls from down the hall. _Aaron. _That reminded me of my dream. I don't know who was saying don't trust me but just to be safe I wouldn't trust him.

The response to Aaron's cries is Loomis and Vanessa laughing their butts off. I get off the couch and follow the giggles around the corner. It takes me a second to remember that I've never been in this part of the house before. I've never strayed from the blue room and the bathroom connected to it. Now I'm in a bright yellow kitchen. It's small but cute. Loomis and Vanessa are at the little stove trying to fry two things at once.

I quickly turn back around and venture into another room. My curiosity had gotten the best of me once again. Instead of finding my way back into the living room I find myself in a red and brown dining room. It's very simplistic. There's a wooden table and four chairs and a china cabinet. The walls were a dark burgundy and the floor was wooden. There was even a bowl of red apples on the table.

I kept walking and found a side hallway that lead to all the bedrooms. I wanted to see what colors these rooms were. I wanted to open the doors and see what lurked behind them but I didn't have enough courage. If Aaron found me I would be dead meat and he had to be around here somewhere.

As I turn to go back to the kitchen I hear a door creak behind me and I knew that I was caught.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asks as if I'm a dumb child.

"I was curious," I reply.

"What are we going to do with you?" He sighed. _I cannot trust him_ I thought to myself repeatedly. I was weary of him from the start but now I was extremely suspicious. Was I a demon or a child to him? "Can't you see that you're my responsibility?" I didn't know what he meant by this. Loomis said the house was a democracy.

"Well then I'm sorry _sir,_" I said sarcastically.

He laughed. "Don't call me sir. It makes me feel old."

"Then don't treat me like a kid," I retort.

His eyes narrowed. "Fine," he growled. I stood their awkwardly for awhile. It looked like he wanted to say something more. Eventually he sighs and says, "Look, Loomis told me to give you another chance. I will respect you if you respect me in return."

"Okay," I reply honestly.

"And don't pity yourself around us. Arrogance is not acceptable. I don't care that your boyfriend tried to kill you. He didn't that's the bottom line." He said and walked away without noticing the pain written all over my face. It felt like he had taken his seraph blade and jammed it into my heart. I stood there shell shocked until Vanessa called my name from down the hall.

"Good you're up. Come eat some breakfast and then we're all going to the springs." She said with a smile. _Great I get to go to the springs with Aaron._ I thought sarcastically.

I eat breakfast in the dining room with the three of them. I look at my plate, not even looking up when Loomis asks how I liked his pancakes. I scarf the food down and then wash my dishes in the kitchen sink. After that I go back into the blue room. At one moment I thought of the blue room as my prison but now I'm seeing it as my one space. It's that most familiar place in this house. I lie on the couch and wonder if running away was selfish. I could've helped him. I can't seem to shake the feeling that Jace is in deep trouble.

I had finally came to the conclusion that I ran away in self- defense and not for a completely selfish reason when Vanessa comes in and tugs me down the hall. She leads me into a purple bedroom, everything is literally purple. "Nice room," I said.

She smiles. "I've always loved purple. When I moved in here I decided 'what the heck lets have some fun with it.' I designed the whole house."

"The house is very cozy,"

I tried to make it that way. I wanted to make it a rainbow house. The boys argued about it with me for almost a year but they finally gave in. I was so happy when they finally did." She explains.

"I love the idea of a rainbow house."

"Really? Some people think it's the stupidest idea they've ever heard of."

"Yeah, the different colors feel like different emotions."

"I thought I was the only one who thought that. No one really gets it."

"It does sound weird though but once you actually see it it's amazing."

"Yeah, the reason I brought you in here was not to talk about the house but to find you something to wear to the springs." She starts digging in her drawers and pulls out things for me to try on. Then she makes me model all the swimsuits in her closet.

About an hour later she decides on a baby blue bikini covered with brown and blue swim shorts and a white tank top. I decided to let her have her fun and play Barbie with me. She seemed to enjoy it a lot.

When we were both dressed Aaron came in and gave me a stele and a dagger. "You never know what's in the forest." He warned and then he walked towards the door.

I hadn't thought about demons being in the woods before. I had only killed one demon so far and that was with Isabelle's help. If a demon attacked us I would be on my own. Aaron would only protect Loomis and Vanessa. I would have to remember everything the Lightwood's taught me to stay alive. I wasn't scared though, I was strangely exhilarated.

"Just in case, you do know how to fight right?" He asked.

"Yes," I answered with a smile.

"Okay, good," Then we all met up with Loomis in the kitchen and went out the back door. The forest was just how I remembered it.

Aaron kept watching me as if I was going to run. I wouldn't though. I learned how dangerous the forest was and wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Also where would I run to? I had nowhere to go. It was better if I just stayed here. I liked the house and Loomis and Vanessa were pretty cool people and if I stayed in line maybe Aaron would even warm up to me. It wasn't home but it was a good alternative.

The three of them kept up a constant stream of conversation. It was funny listening to them. It was like Loomis and Vanessa were brother and sister and Aaron was their friend. Now was when you could see the democracy. They tried to talk to me but I was more interested in what the three of them talked about, memories of seeing a monkey in the woods, of being chased by a farmer, even finding a woman in the woods that had died from heat stroke. With that they all snuck glances at me.

"Did you ever find out who she was?" I asked.

"All we know was that she was a shadowhunter. We don't even know who took her body away. One day it was there and the next day it was gone." Vanessa replied.

"The local werewolf pack probably took it away." Loomis puts in.

"You think Milos would've allowed that?" Aaron asked.

"No but Lucy would've convinced him."

"Do you miss any of them?" said Aaron.

"Sometimes, they were the only ones there for me when my parents kicked me out. I always looked up to Milos."

"So you're a werewolf?" I ask.

"Yep," Loomis answers with a laugh on his lips. "Once in a while I'll wake up and still think I'm human and live with my parents."

"How long has it been?"

"Almost two years now,"

I decided to ask the intrusive question that had been bugging me for a while. "How old are you guys?" I asked.

"Seventeen," Loomis informs me.

"Sixteen," Vanessa says.

Aaron hesitates but then replies "I'm nineteen," When we all stare at him.

"Cool," I say simply.

Then Vanessa starts messing with Aaron's hair and they're laughing. I can feel a smile on my lips too. It feels like I'm watching a group of friends at the beach on spring break.

Then I look into the bushes and see three ravenor demons. Izzy once told me "When you fight a demon relax. If you freak out there's a better chance you'll die." When I first heard it I thought she was just trying to scare me but now I know that she's right. I sober up.

"Aaron," I call. They can tell something is wrong by the way my voice sounds. I grab my dagger and jump into battle. Aaron is close behind me. I draw an angel's rune onto the dagger and stab the closest ravenor in the side. He explodes. Another jumps for me and I quickly roll out of the way. All my training had come in handy. The demon runs towards me with his mouth open wide and I jump over him and stab him in the back, surprising him as he explodes.

The last ravenor is battling with Aaron. They're both having a hard time. Aaron's now on the floor and the ravenor is getting ready to pounce on him. He might hate me but I'm sure not going to let him die. I start running over but I know that I'm not fast enough so I throw my dagger at the moving demon hoping the luck of the angel will be with me, and he is. The dagger lands on its target and the demon explodes without even touching Aaron.

I run to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he groans.

"You sure?" I ask doubtfully.

"I just hit my back hard. I'm fine."

"Okay,"

I help him up and we go back to Loomis and Vanessa. Vanessa is crying and Loomis looks pissed.

"Oh my god! Are you alright? I was so worried! Loomis wanted to go after you guys but I held him back. We thought you were going to die!" _Wow, optimistic much?_ I think. Didn't they know that Aaron was a good fighter? He'd managed to stay alive this long.

"It's all thanks to Clary that I'm still alive." Aaron says. I had been standing to the side the whole time they were talking. Loomis and Vanessa looked shocked. It annoyed me.

"Do I really look that weak? I'm not a child."

"No, it's not that, I thought you didn't have much training," Loomis says.

"I don't. I had good teachers and I was lucky." I shrugged.

"It wasn't luck. She's good. She killed all three of the ravenor demons by herself." Aaron puts in.

"How long were you training for?" Loomis asks.

"Seven months,"

The all stare at me with even wider eyes if that's even possible. I don't get why. It was just luck. Plus it was only three demons Jace could've killed them all in his sleep. "What is it now?" I ask annoyed.

"You shouldn't have been able to do that if you only had seven months of training. Who were you trained by?"

"The Lightwoods, they're shadowhunters who run the institute in New York." This is followed by an eerie silence. "What now?"

"Are you sure you don't work for the clave?" Loomis questioned.

"I'm sure. Why?"

"Never mind,"

"Fine then, let's keep walking. There might be more around here." With that we all start walking. No one speaks until we get to our destination. They say it is but I don't see a spring, I see a giant cliff. They tell me that the spring is located below that cliff. Loomis pushes Aaron off and he screams all the way down. Then Vanessa pushes Loomis over.

I give a Vanessa a don't-mess-with-me stare and walk over to the ledge. I look down, It's at least a fifty foot drop.

"Don't you dare push me in," I tell Vanessa.

"Suit yourself," She laughs and then jumps off. The second she's out of sight I realize that I probably should've asked if there was another way down. I hate heights. I walked around the perimeter of the cliff and still couldn't find another way. I couldn't even find a steep slope. It was all just straight down but still, there had to be another way down. They had to get up somehow.

"Come on, Clary!" Loomis called.

"You people are crazy!" I yell back.

"Nah, you're just scared. Don't worry you won't die."

"Oh that's very reassuring," I mumble under my breath. "How do you get back up?"

"You'll see," Loomis shouted. "Just come down here and I'll show you how to get back up."

I didn't know if I could trust them or not but if I couldn't get back up then they couldn't either. I decided to live a little and chance it. I took a deep breath and flung myself over the edge before I could change my mind. The whole way down I was hoping that I wouldn't die.

As I got closer to the water I tried to bring myself into a cannonball position. The landing sent shockwaves through my body. The spring was deep, I estimated twenty feet. I went all the way to the bottom and felt the algae with my toes. I pushed off with my feet and swam to the top.

At the surface the others were cheering and laughing." What would you have done if I couldn't swim?" I demanded.

"Fish you out of course," Loomis joked.

"This is not funny. How do we get back up?"

"Relax Clary! You're freaking out way too much. There's an underground passageway that leads back up" Vanessa explained.

"A what?" I asked confused. With that I got laughed at once again. These people were so immature.

"Come on Clary, I'll show that the way back up so you can let loose and relax." Loomis offered with a big grin.

We got out of the spring and walked to the side of the cliff and to the right. There was a little hole that I hadn't noticed before, that was only a few feet tall. Loomis went in first and I followed after him. We were only a yard in when I tripped over something. It was very dark, I couldn't see a thing.

"Careful, I forgot to warn you. There are stairs in here that are made out of tree roots. Go slowly." He whispered.

After about ten minutes I had successfully made it up the cliff. Okay, I had a few cuts but it was still a success.

"So are you better now?" He asked. "No more crazy freak outs?"

"Yeah, thanks," I reply. We just stand there between the trees and the cliff. He looks like he wanted to say something.

"Umm… What you did back there? Saving Aaron's life? I just wanted to say thanks. We've become a family and if one of us dies then a piece of the others die with them. We're all outcasts, hated by the towns and cities. We were talking the morning we found you about giving up and turning ourselves in to the people we've been hiding from. Aaron and I would most likely be killed on the spot. We hoped that they would go soft on Vanessa.

Ravenors kept coming and Aaron was the only one of us who knew how to fight them. He wasn't very good at it but he always came back alive. One day he almost died though, and we were scared that the next time one came it would kill him but then you showed up. You know how to fight. You can save us!" He smiled and looked at me with his big hopeful eyes.

"Thanks," I started off, unsure of what to say. These people were making me suspicious. Could I make promises that I didn't know if I could keep? "I was lucky today with those ravenor demons but if you still want me to stay then I will. I have nowhere else to go and I thank you for taking me in." I say.

"Thank you," he whispers and pulls me into a big hug.

As I started to pull away I looked at his face and our eyes locked. Those eyes of his were mesmerizing. "You're pretty," he whispered sweetly. He was a good guy. He was nice and sweet and cute and cared about his friends. What more could you want from a guy?

Our faces inched closer and closer together until I could feel his breath on my face. All I wanted was to feel his lips on mine.

_Jace._ A voice whispered in the back of my mind, snapping me back into reality and giving me a piece of clarity. I was trembling and there were stupid tears pooling in my eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

I cut him off. "No everything is fine, just go back to Aaron and Vanessa please. Now." The words rushed out of my mouth I couldn't spend another minute with him.

"Alright, but you will stay, won't you?"

"Yes, I said I would but please just go. I need some time alone." I said hurriedly, wanting him to get away from me as fast as possible. And with that he jumped off the cliff at the same time my knees gave out.


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't know what to think. Heck, it wasn't possible to think about it sanely. Running away from Loomis and being by myself was supposed to calm me down not make me think. If I thought then I would snap and I could not snap again. Yes, I was in love with Jace but this could not become an obsession. He had hurt me. I had to get over him. I didn't want to but I needed to.

I was running. I couldn't stop running. All the crazy energy rushing through my veins needed to come out one way or another. I ran until I couldn't take it anymore. It must have been miles. I stopped and felt something crawling up my throat. No one was around. I didn't care. I leaned over and let the puke come out on the forest's green floor.

The truth was I was scared. How could I face Loomis after I had rejected him? How could I ever face Jace again? No, no, no. I couldn't think, I shouldn't think.

By the sun, I could tell that it was about five in the afternoon. I had time. We had planned to go home at seven, so I wouldn't be late if I stayed out here for an hour or two. But where was home? For now I guess it was here, in the backwoods of Idris. A year ago I would have never thought any of this existed nevertheless was possible.

I slowly climbed the closest tree and sat on the thickest limb, about twenty feet off the ground. I needed to give into the viscous feeling in my chest. This craving was killing me. It was excruciatingly painful. I needed to give in and let it out but I couldn't. I knew I had to think everything out but I wouldn't let myself. I needed a plan. I needed knowledge. I needed to break down. It was time to give in. I was alone and the surrounding forest was beautiful. I didn't care if I was lost or not. I would find my way back eventually. I couldn't worry about that. I had bigger problems.

Then, I stared up at the cloudless blue sky and felt the first of many tears fall out of the corner of my eye and slide down my cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

"If I'm going to protect you, I need to know everything." Clary told them. When she came back Loomis, Vanessa, and Aaron all looked relieved. They all hugged her and wanted to make her something to eat but Clary knew that they had to get down to business. She was not in the mood to pretend that everything was okay. Clary was going to control this meeting. She told everyone to follow her into the living room and they obeyed.

"She's right," Loomis sighed. She had sobered them up.

"Where should we start?" Vanessa asked, devastatingly. You could tell that her past was filled with skeletons.

"At the beginning. That's where you have to start or else this won't work. Each of you tell your own story." Clary demanded.

"I'll start," Aaron said. He had been quiet ever since they'd started, staring at his shoes.

Now Clary would get the information she needed.

Aaron

"I lived in Alicante with my mother. She was a single parent. She owned a dress shop on Main Street. She never told my father that she was pregnant with me.

On my seventeenth birthday I went looking for him. My mom tried to stop me but I snuck out anyways. I thought I knew where he was but I didn't. My father was Hodge."

Clary gasped loudly but Aaron continued on.

"Where I thought my father would be was a warlock. I was stupid enough to ask him about Hodge. The subject of the circle or anyone in it made him vicious. He put a paralyzing spell on me and then stuck my head in a cauldron. In it was a truth seeing serum. I saw the circle and what they did. I followed Hodge through the uprising and saw him kill my mother's parents. I saw him kill downworlders and rape women. My mother was one of those women. I saw what he did to her. I am a bastard child. I saw what the whole circle did. I saw Valentine and the Lightwoods, Wayland, and the Herondales. For a few minutes I knew them. I personally knew them because for a few minutes I was in Hodge's head. I was in the mind of a sociopath who wanted to kill all downworlders and anyone who got in his way. I was horrified. I was in his mind while he stabbed innocent werewolf kids in their hearts and decapitated vampires.

"When I couldn't take it anymore, the warlock let me come out of the cauldron. ' This is the man who you seek,' He told me. I ran, faster than I ever had before, out of that house. I ran until I couldn't run any more. I hated myself. I despised my father who I had never met before. I was a product of rape and my mother still loved me. She cared about all creatures. I hated everyone in the circle too. I came across a little abandoned house and that's where I stayed. I swore to myself that if I ever met a member of the circle I would kill them."

"And then you show up, Clary. I wanted to kill you so bad." He looked up and gave Clary a piercing look through his tear filled eyes. "But Loomis and Vanessa wouldn't let me and then you saved my life. I don't know what to think of you. You're Jocelyn and Valentine's daughter. I saw him murder dozens of people and he never looked back."

"Did my mother kill anyone?" Was the only thing Clary could ask.

"Excuse me?" Aaron asked, snapping out of his flashback.

"My mother, Jocelyn, is she a murderer?"

"She ran away during the uprising. I didn't see her."

"Okay," Clary said. Thinking about her own past and her parents past, if you could even consider Valentine a parent. She was lost in her own imagination when Loomis spoke up.

"I guess I'll go next," He said soberly.

Loomis

"My story is just like a lot of Werewolves. I got bit and my human parents realized it. They brought a priest over to our house and he did an exorcism but it wasn't necessary. It didn't work. I acted like it did though. I tried to hide it from my parents but one night they found me and they tried to kill me. My father had a shovel and he whacked me in the head with it. Then my mom came around and sliced a long gash down my arm with a knife. I whimpered in my wolf form. I knew it was them trying to kill me. I wiggled my way out of their grip and ran away. As I ran down the street I heard my dad yell 'Never come back!' I ran for hours. When I got to the place where the beach used to be there was a forest. It seemed magical and I went through it. I walked a few days through the beautiful forest. I found a pack of werewolves then. The pack leader took me in when I told him my story. Milos and his wife Lucy took me in. I lived with them for a little over two years. I was fourteen when my parents disowned me.

I was happy. I had a family who loved me and I had friends. My only weakness was that I trusted everyone. I was warned several times never to take someone to our pack. I was told that if a shadowhunter or any other downworlder species was brought to the pack then I would be banished or maybe even killed. They knew I had already been banished from one family already and I never wanted it to happen again.

One day though a horrible sickness reached our pack. People were coughing and had fevers and hallucinations. I knew that we had to trust someone if we didn't want our entire pack to die so I set out and found a witch. She was nice and I trusted her. She told me that she could do a spell that would cure everyone of the sickness. I agreed to it and showed her to the pack. When we got there, my whole pack stared at me like I was a stranger. I came to Milos and the first words out his mouth when I saw him were 'What did you do?' He gazed at me with horror. Lucy wouldn't even look at me.

The witch did her spell and cured them all. She swore to Milos that she would never come back and then she left. After that the whole pack wanted to kill me but it was the pack leader's decision. He said that he wouldn't kill me because I cured everyone but I think it was because he didn't want to kill his son. He banished me and I too found the little abandoned house. I found Aaron depressed and alone and I knew that I had found a safe place here.

Aaron and I tried to find the circle. We were going to kill them but little did we know that even asking questions can make people want to kill you. They became suspicious and now there are warrants out for all both our deaths. We did kill a guard though so that's part of it too."

_They are murderers,_ Clary thought _but I do get why they did it. _She just nodded her head and Vanessa started her story.

Vanessa

"I grew up with my mother. I knew my father though. He was a demon but I never saw him act evil. My parents didn't live together but he dropped by once in a while and on holidays and on my birthday. He had a brother. They were both Eidolon demons. Yes, I had a demon uncle. He was jealous of my father so he decided to kill him and everyone he had ever loved. My Uncle killed my mom in front of me when I was fifteen. He had tied my father and me up. I knew a spell that could transport me away from the house but I couldn't leave my father there to die. He leaned over to me while his brother was sharpening him blade. My dad knew, that I knew that spell and he told me to use it. 'I can't leave you dad' I had told him. 'Yes you can. I love you, just be safe,' He kissed my head and then he yelled at me to go. I did what I was told to do and I found myself in the beautiful green forest I had always seen from my bedroom window. From a humans point of view it would've been a beach but for me it was this beautiful green forest. My father had told me that I wasn't crazy. He told me it was Idris and no human could go there or see it. I wondered around, crying aimlessly and then Loomis and Aaron found me. They took me in. That's when they became my family."

"Did you help Loomis and Aaron find out about the circle?" Clary asked Vanessa.

"Yes I was the guard as they snuck into archives, that they weren't allowed to be in. I did spells to unlock doors and stuff like that."

"Okay. Thanks for telling me all this. I know it wasn't easy for you to do." Clary said. "It's late we should all go to bed."

"So are you going to help us?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes, I will do everything in my power to help you… If you don't treat me like a prisoner or a little girl." She looked straight at Aaron when she said this with a smirk on her face, trying to lighten the mood a little. He nodded his agreement with a slight smile and then Aaron and Vanessa dispersed leaving Loomis and Clary, awkwardly, in the living room.


End file.
